2016 wnba thread news notes picks !

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Dunkel

Thursday, June 23


San Antonio @ Dallas

Game 601-602
June 23, 2016 @ 8:30 pm

Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
102.494
Dallas
113.515
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Dallas
by 11
157
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Dallas
by 9
163
Dunkel Pick:
Dallas
(-9); Under




WNBA
Long Sheet

Thursday, June 23

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SAN ANTONIO (2 - 10) at DALLAS (6 - 7) - 6/23/2016, 8:30 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
DALLAS is 7-2 against the spread versus SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
DALLAS is 6-4 straight up against SAN ANTONIO over the last 3 seasons
5 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Thursday, June 23

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:30 PM
SAN ANTONIO vs. DALLAS
San Antonio is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
San Antonio is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games
Dallas is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Dallas is 3-10-1 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against San Antonio

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Stars (2-10) at Wings (6-7)
Date: June 23, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

The Dallas Wings' combination of potential superstars and role players has led the team to a season-best, three-game win streak, with the latest run of success an indication that the squad is finally finding its stride 13 games into the campaign.

The Wings hope to keep that run going when they host the San Antonio Stars on Thursday.

The memory that the Wings (6-7) lost six straight games before their current run has been wiped out by recent torrid shooting and clutch play. Dallas shot a season-best 52.8 percent from the floor (and a season-high 52.9 percent from 3-point range) in Tuesday's 100-90 home win over Phoenix.

That win came three nights after 117-111, triple-overtime victory against the Mercury in Phoenix.

"We are clicking right now and everything is just going well," Wings point guard Odyssey Sims said. "We're having fun. We're sharing the ball, smiling, high-fiving and that's always fun. We're just playing some basketball and trying to get some W's."

The surge has coincided with guard Skyler Diggins' return to the court after a knee injury kept her out of seven of Dallas' first eight games.

After leading the team with 27 points in the triple-overtime win at Phoenix, Diggins scored a team-high 20 points in the follow-up, her third game in double figures this season. Diggins is averaging 14.0 points per game since her June 11 return.

Thursday's contest will be the third consecutive road game for the Stars, who lost 81-75 to the Chicago Sky on Tuesday and, at 2-10, own the league's worst record and are winless on the road.

Guard Moriah Jefferson led the Stars against Chicago with new career highs of 20 points and five rebounds while guard Kayla McBride scored her first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The Stars recorded an opponent season-high 30 defensive boards against the Sky but lost the total rebounding battle 40-35.

San Antonio, which lost to Dallas 82-77 in Arlington, Texas, in the two teams' first meeting on May 21, has shot above 40 percent from the field in the last four games after failing to reach that percentage in six of the team's first eight games.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA Capsules
June 22, 2016

ATLANTA (AP) Tina Charles had 23 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for the New York Liberty, who beat the Atlanta Dream 90-79 in double overtime on Wednesday for their fifth straight victory.

Charles scored five quick points in the second overtime as New York opened on a 9-0 run and outscored the Dream 14-3.

Shavonte Zellous added 14 points as six players scored in double figures for New York (9-4). Swin Cash had a season-high 13 points - 11 in the first half - for the Liberty, who are ranked No. 3 in the AP power poll.

Turnovers on consecutive New York possessions led to two layups by Angel McCoughtry to pull Atlanta to 68-65 with 2:35 left in regulation. Meighan Simmons made Atlanta's first 3-pointer with 1:09 left to tie it at 70-all. Charles missed a 3-pointer before the buzzer.

In the first overtime, Atlanta's Tiffany Hayes intercepted a cross-court pass by Charles and made a fast-break layup with 5.8 seconds left to tie it at 76. Charles missed a long jumper to send it to another OT.

McCoughtry finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for fourth-ranked Atlanta (8-5). Hayes had 17 points and three blocks and Elizabeth Williams added 16 points. Sancho Lyttle added 11 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight steals.

MYSTICS 76, FEVER 62

WASHINGTON (AP) - Tayler Hill had 11 of her 16 points in the second half and the Mystics beat the Fever.

Washington (7-7) never trailed after scoring the first points of the second half and pulled away with a 15-5 run to start the fourth quarter.

Emma Meesseman and Ivory Latta added 12 points each and Stefanie Dolson scored 10. The Mystics - No. 5 in the AP WNBA power poll - have won five of their last six, including back-to-back victories at home after dropping five straight at the Verizon Center to start the season.

Lynetta Kizer scored 18 to lead the eighth-ranked Fever (5-9). Erica Wheeler and Tamika Catchings had 10 points each.

Indiana had its largest lead at 27-18 on Catchings' basket with 6:45 left in the second quarter. Washington scored the next 10 and the teams went back-and-forth for the rest of the half.

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

New York Liberty 9 4 0.692 0 3-3 6-1 5-1 7-3 W-5

Atlanta Dream 8 5 0.615 1 4-3 4-2 6-4 6-4 L-2

Washington Mystics 7 7 0.500 2 2-5 5-2 5-3 6-4 W-3

Chicago Sky 6 7 0.462 3 3-2 3-5 4-2 5-5 W-1

Indiana Fever 5 9 0.357 4 3-4 2-5 2-5 3-7 L-2

Connecticut Sun 3 10 0.231 6 2-6 1-4 0-7 2-8 W-1

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Minnesota Lynx 13 0 1.000 0 5-0 8-0 7-0 10-0 W-13

Los Angeles Sparks 11 1 0.917 1 5-1 6-0 5-1 9-1 L-1

Dallas Wings 6 7 0.462 7 3-4 3-3 4-2 4-6 W-3

Seattle Storm 4 9 0.308 9 2-4 2-5 2-5 3-7 L-3

Phoenix Mercury 4 9 0.308 9 4-3 0-6 1-8 4-6 L-3

San Antonio Stars 2 10 0.167 10 2-5 0-5 1-4 2-8 L-3

Updated Thu Jun 23 11:37 AM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

6/22 - Yesterday's Results 1 - 3

WLT PCT UNITS RANK

ATS Picks 31-30-3 50.82% -1000

O/U Picks 37-27-0 57.81% +3650


THURSDAY, JUNE 23

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

SA at DAL 08:30 PM

DAL -10.0

U 164.0

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Friday's six-pack

-- Golf course at Greenbrier, which hosts a PGA event July 7-10, is currently under an awful lot of water. Hard to believe they'll be playing there in two weeks.

-- Toronto CF Kevin Pillar makes the most spectacular catches of anyone in the big leagues, at least this season.

-- Road team won the Cardinals' last 13 games.

-- Home team won Jose Urias' first six major league starts.

-- Maximum rookie salary in the NHL is $925,000.

-- Scouting is an inexact scienece: Albert Pujols was a 13th-round draft pick.

**********

Armadillo: Friday's List of 13: Running diary of NBA Draft night......

Haven't done this in a long time, but this is a running diary of Thursday night's NBA Draft, with some baseball mixed in. Hope you enjoy......

7:05-- Rece Davis is ESPN's host for the draft; he is the best guy ESPN has, but I'm not sure they know it. Why did they let Mike Tirico get away?

7:07-- Mets acquired Kelly Johnson two weeks ago; he's batting 5th for them tonite, as their impotent offense brings back memories of their team at this time LY, before they traded for Yoenis Cespedes. They still have Cespedes, but they struggle to score.

7:10-- Why doesn't NBA TV cover the draft too, the way NFL Network does?

7:15-- The Celtics have eight picks tonight; kind of reduces their leverage in making a trade-- they HAVE TO trade some of those picks.

7:20-- They're having a telethon on Marlins' TV during their game with the Cubs- the best thing that could happen to the Marlins is if Jeffrey Loria put the team up for sale as part of the telethon, then Marlin fans could be rid of his foolishness.

7:23-- Marco Belinelli got traded to the Hornets. Really, he did.

7:25-- Dragan Bender is 18 years old, won't turn 19 until after the season starts. Then you have Buddy Hield, who played four years at Oklahoma and is 23. How much does that figure in factoring how much will these players improve?

Fran Fraschilla talks about the foreign players in the draft; it shows how ridiculous ESPN has become that Jay Williams was on the telecast before Fraschilla. Can never have enough Duke alums on a telecast, though.

7:29-- NBA salary cap is going to jump from $70M to $110M in two years? Oy.

7:31-- NBA commissioner Adam Silver is a tall, bald man with glasses; in other words, he is my hero.

7:37-- 76ers take Ben Simmons, who was 1-3 behind the arc at LSU LY. Kid is a real good passer, ut he is still a kid. Curious to see how he does in the pros; Simmons' dad played for Sixers' coach Brett Brown 27 years ago in Australia.

Simmons' sister is married to former NFL RB Michael Bush, who played for the Raiders/Bears in his six-year career, scoring 31 TDs.

7:44-- Simmons is 7th consecutive college freshman to go #1 in the draft.

7:46-- Lakers took Brandon Ingram with the #2 pick; at what point next fall will Luke Walton look at his team and ask "I left Golden State for this???"

7:50-- I wonder if Sam Hinkie would've taken Simmons, or would have have screwed that up too? Just because you went to a fancy school doesn't make you smart.

Worst thing about the draft is that they don't announce trades as they happen, so a kid drafted by one team may already have been dealt somewhere else. No bueno.

7:56-- Celtics drafted Jaylen Brown, who doesn't have an agent, thereby saving 3% in agents' fees-- rookie contracts are slotted, so no real need for an agent. Good for him.

8:07-- Suns took the 18-year old Bender, Minnesota took PG Kris Dunn, who will be a good fit with Tom Thibodeau's defensive teachings. You wonder if a kid isn't happy going somewhere like Minnesota, a franchise that has never won?

I mean, Dunn is rich now, but if he wanted to play for the Celtics or some other team, unless he gets traded, he's out of luck. As if being a millionaire is being out of luck.

8:15-- New Orleans takes Buddy Hield, who Jalen Rose compared to Voshon Lenard, who Rose went to high school with.

8:22-- Jalen Rose likes telling averyone how much money NBA players made in their career. Michael Redd made $101,991,325 in his career. He played in one All-Star tilt and 16 playoff games in his entire career, still made $102M. Nice.

8:27-- Sacramento takes Marquese Chriss. who scored 13.7 ppg at Washington- they then traded him to Phoenix, not sure for who. Chriss is a great athlete but is also prone to foul trouble. Translation: Mr Chriss is a project.

8:30-- Jay Bilas has Domantas Sabonis ranked ahead of Skal Labassiere, restoring my faith in mankind. This is my advice to teams guessing on marginal players:

Draft players who were productive in college
Draft players who were productive in college
Draft players who were productive in college....I rest my case.

8:40-- Milwaukee Bucks took Thon Maker, whose age is a question mark. Fraschilla likes him; the kid lived in Sudan until he was 6, then Australia for a while, then in this country, before moving to Canada. He apparently is a project; no one really seems to know. Bucks were one of three youngest NBA teams last year.

8:47-- Domantas Sabonis got picked #11, proving that I'm not a complete idiot (hold your jokes). I swore that if Sabonis went #20 in the draft, as ESPN's website claimed, then 10 NBA GMs needed to be fired. Sabonis is going to be a really good player.

He went #11 to the Magic, who then traded him and two others for Serge Ibaka, with Victor Oladipo one of the two guys going to Oklahoma with Sabonis.

9:02-- Sacramento's team is owned and run by foreigners, so of course they took a big kid from Greece I've never heard of. He played high school ball in Philly area, but is a project, according to Fraschilla.

9:16-- Denver took Juan Hernangomez, third time in last five years they took a foreign kid in the first round.

9:17-- They showed the Celtics' "war room" which is apparently is in what looks like a cramped locker room. Don't they have meeting space in their building?

9:25-- This is where I tell you Deandre Bembry from St Joe's is going to be a really good player. We're sitting at pick #17 as I type this; he should be off the board.

9:35-- TV guys won't say this because they don't want us to turn the channel, but this isn't a great draft. Teams are clutching at straws with foreign kids already, or looking for projects who will blossom down the road.

9:45-- You feel bad for kids who are actually in the arena, then slip in the draft and have to sit there-- has to be very humbling, as well as expenisve. Denver took Malik Beasley, who was sitting there for a while; Beasley's mom is an actress who was in The Hunger Games.

9:50-- This seems like a good time to point out that when he was in college, Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert was arrested for bookmaking-- he paid a fine and got three years of probation. Not lot of guys who own teams that have a gambling-related rap sheet.

9:57-- Atlanta Hawks took Bembry, who played for the St Joe's Hawks, so he will be a Hawk for the forseeable future. He is a little bit like Ben Simmons in that he needs to be a better shooter, stronger and a tad more selfish when it comes to scoring. He will be a 10-year NBA player, but he has to develop his scoring to be a really good 10-year player.

10:15-- Lebron James, Kawhi Leonard are skipping the Olympics, Rory McIlroy ain't going either, as NBC execs start to sweat just a little bit more.

10:25-- If you left college early to go pro and you haven't been picked yet, after 76ers just took Furkan Korkmaz, who won't be over here for at least two years, after they took some guard from France, then admit it, son-- you messed up bigtime.

10:30-- Would it be the worst thing on earth if kids who aren't drafted tonight could go back to college and play next year, and get better?

10:36-- That said, kids often listen to the wrong people- they hear what they want to hear and instead of going back to school and working on getting better, they jump at the lure of easy money, as Don Henley would say. .

10:42-- Only 14 of the first 27 players drafted were born in this country.

10:52-- $2.1M for two years ain't bad, but if you were expecting more, its a letdown for a kid who was told (lied to) that he would be a mid-first round pick. Kids taken in the first round are still guaranteed some money though. Better than nothing.

10:58-- NFL Draft is roughly ten weeks after the Super Bowl; NBA Draft is just four nights after the Finals ended. Kind of weird.

11:08-- I can't really imagine being really poor, then all of a sudden really rich; having grown up in a middle class home, both are foreign to me. Some of these kids are going to have to learn the word "no" or else their money won't last very long.

11:12-- Celtics took a 6-9 guy from Croatia named Ante Zizic; that pick got high praise on CBSSports.com. Most of the foreign kids picked were not praised as much.

11:17-- Pelicans traded two second round picks to move up to take Cheick Diallo, who was an unproductive sub for Kansas LY, after arriving with much hype. I liked the Suns taking Tyler Ulis with the next pick better-- take productive players.

11:21-- I'm not a big fan of bow ties, not that anyone consults me on fashion.

11:26-- Suns drafted Tyler Ulis, which could be a really good pick if he is healthy.

11:33-- Two UNLV kids got taken in the second round; I've would've lost a boatload of cash if you had bet me that Patrick McCaw would be selected ahead of Stephen Zimmerman. Realistically, both kids should've stayed in school. Zimmerman can really pass the ball but he needed to take another year to mature to really cash in.

McCaw got traded to from Milwaukee to Golden State; their D-League team is in Santa Cruz, so he can start looking for apartments there.

12:00-- Who would've thought that Oakland's point guard would get taken ahead of North Carolina's? 5-9 sparkplug Kay Felder is going to make the Jazz roster.

July 8 the NBA Summer League starts in Las Vegas; games are on TV and it is evident from watching those games, just how difficult it is to make an NBA roster. Players who didn't make the NBA last year will be there, fighting for one of those precious roster spots with this year's rookies. It is a very, very competitive ten days.

[StarDust Bum]

WNBA
Long Sheet

Friday, June 24

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PHOENIX (4 - 9) at WASHINGTON (7 - 7) - 6/24/2016, 7:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
PHOENIX is 18-31 ATS (-16.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) in road games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 11-21 ATS (-12.1 Units) after a division game over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 4-12 ATS (-9.2 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
WASHINGTON is 286-340 ATS (-88.0 Units) in all games since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 31-50 ATS (-24.0 Units) as a home favorite of 3 points or less since 1997.
WASHINGTON is 172-215 ATS (-64.5 Units) after a division game since 1997.

Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 4-1 against the spread versus WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 4-1 straight up against WASHINGTON over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CHICAGO (6 - 7) at NEW YORK (9 - 4) - 6/24/2016, 7:30 PM
Top Trends for this game.
CHICAGO is 4-14 ATS (-11.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 10-20 ATS (-12.0 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
CHICAGO is 12-23 ATS (-13.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 32-19 ATS (+11.1 Units) in all games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in June games over the last 2 seasons.
NEW YORK is 19-10 ATS (+8.0 Units) in May, June, or July games over the last 2 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 5-3 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 5-3 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
5 of 8 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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LOS ANGELES (11 - 1) at MINNESOTA (13 - 0) - 6/24/2016, 8:00 PM
There are no Top Trends with records of significance that apply to this game.

Head-to-Head Series History
MINNESOTA is 7-5 against the spread versus LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA is 9-3 straight up against LOS ANGELES over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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CONNECTICUT (3 - 10) at SEATTLE (4 - 9) - 6/24/2016, 10:00 PM
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 38-22 ATS (+13.8 Units) after 3 or more consecutive losses since 1997.
SEATTLE is 54-30 ATS (+21.0 Units) in home games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game since 1997.
CONNECTICUT is 18-7 ATS (+10.3 Units) in June games over the last 3 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) against Western conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 5-14 ATS (-10.4 Units) when playing with 3 or more days rest over the last 3 seasons.

Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 4-2 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 5-1 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
4 of 6 games in this series have gone UNDER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons

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WNBA

Friday, June 24

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7:00 PM
PHOENIX vs. WASHINGTON
Phoenix is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games
Phoenix is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Washington is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington's last 9 games when playing Phoenix

7:30 PM
CHICAGO vs. NEW YORK
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games on the road
New York is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing Chicago
New York is 3-11 SU in its last 14 games when playing Chicago

8:00 PM
LOS ANGELES vs. MINNESOTA
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 8 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Los Angeles is 1-13 SU in its last 14 games when playing on the road against Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Minnesota is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games when playing at home against Los Angeles

10:00 PM
CONNECTICUT vs. SEATTLE
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Connecticut's last 8 games when playing on the road against Seattle
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Connecticut's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Seattle's last 8 games when playing at home against Connecticut
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Seattle's last 7 games

----------------

WNBA
Dunkel

Friday, June 24


Phoenix @ Washington

Game 651-652
June 24, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Phoenix
107.916
Washington
115.514
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Washington
by 7 1/2
173
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Washington
by 2
166 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Washington
(-2); Over

Chicago @ New York

Game 653-654
June 24, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Chicago
109.627
New York
116.363
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
New York
by 6 1/2
155
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
New York
by 3 1/2
160
Dunkel Pick:
New York
(-3 1/2); Under

Los Angeles @ Minnesota

Game 655-656
June 24, 2016 @ 8:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Los Angeles
121.785
Minnesota
120.751
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Los Angeles
by 1
150
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Minnesota
by 4 1/2
155
Dunkel Pick:
Los Angeles
(+4 1/2); Under

Connecticut @ Seattle

Game 657-658
June 24, 2016 @ 10:00 pm

Dunkel Rating:
Connecticut
103.743
Seattle
108.228
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Seattle
by 4 1/2
170
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Seattle
by 7
164 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Connecticut
(+7); Over

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Mercury (4-9) at Mystics (7-7)
Date: June 24, 2016 7:00 PM EDT

The Washington Mystics are surging up the Eastern Conference standings and the Phoenix Mercury are headed in the opposite direction in the Western Conference.

The two teams collide Friday night in Washington, D.C.

The Mystics have won three straight and five of six overall to even their record at 7-7. Coach Mike Thibault's team opened the season at 2-6 but has turned around in the past month and is .500 for the first time this season.

The Mystics are coming off an impressive 76-62 win over the Indiana Fever on Wednesday night. Guard Tayler Hill scored 16 points and all-star forward Emma Meesseman had 13 points and a career-high six steals.

Statistically, Washington still has plenty of room for improvement. The Mystics are eighth in the WNBA in points per game (81.7) and seventh in the points allowed (84.3).

But they're headed in the right direction, especially after the return of spark-plug guard Ivory Latta, who missed four early games. She is averaging 10.8 points in limited minutes off the bench.

The Mercury (4-9) have been an enigma to this point.

There were high expectations for the team, especially with the return of superstar Diana Taurasi. But Phoenix has not lived up the hype and enters the game having lost three straight.

Five players are averaging in double figures for the Mercury, led by Taurasi at 19.8 and DeWanna Bonner at 15.1.

Phoenix leads the WNBA in points per game at 86.8 but is last in points allowed (89.1) and 10th in rebounds and assists.

The Mercury have surrendered at least 100 points in back-to-back losses to Dallas, including in triple overtime at home last week.

The Mercury however, did defeat the Mystics 93-77 in their first meeting this season on May 29. Taurasi had 20 of her 28 points in the second half and Phoenix put away Washington in the fourth quarter. Bonner finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Mercury have won six of the last seven meetings with the Mystics.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

May 29, 2016 Score ATS Results
WAS 77 Over: 170
PHO « 93 Cover: 8
Tools: Recaps

Sep 2, 2015 Score ATS Results
WAS 53 Under: 126
PHO « 73 Cover: 16
Tools: Recaps

Aug 28, 2015 Score ATS Results
PHO 63 Under: 134
WAS « 71 Cover: 3.5
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sky (6-7) at Liberty (9-4)
Date: June 24, 2016 7:30 PM EDT

The New York Liberty have a little revenge on their mind.

The Liberty will put their five-game win streak on the line Friday night when they play host to the Chicago Sky at Madison Square Garden.

This will be the first of three meetings during the regular season between the first-place Liberty (9-4) and the fourth-place Sky (6-7).

But it's a preseason game that still stings a bit for the Liberty. In that game on May 1, Elena Delle Donne scored 17 points and Jessica Breland added 10 as the Sky crushed the short-handed Liberty 93-59.

Without Tina Charles or Swin Cash, Liberty starters combined to go 8 of 33 from the field in that game. Adut Bulgak came off the bench to score 17 points to lead the Liberty. Sugar Rodgers (10) was the only other New York player to score in double figures.

New York has rebounded nicely to start the WNBA season and leads the Eastern Conference by one game over the Atlanta Dream. The Liberty went to Atlanta and beat the Dream 90-79 in double overtime on Wednesday at Philips Arena.

The Liberty scored the first nine points of the second overtime and never looked back.

Charles narrowly missed a triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for her ninth double-double of the season. Six Liberty players compiled double-digit points, including guard Shavonte Zellous, who scored 14 off the bench.

Cash had a season-high 13 points, 11 in the first half.

Charles missed a shot that would have won it in the first overtime for the Liberty. She shook off the miss and took the blame for not ending the game then and there.

"I messed up a little bit ... But I was just happy we were able to knock down shots, get rebounds, get stops," Charles told reporters.

Charles leads the league in scoring, averaging 22.1 points per game. She also tops the league in rebounds per game at 9.8 rebounds per game.

The Sky, which is 3-5 on the road, hope to continue their winning ways after defeating the San Antonio Stars 81-75 on Tuesday to end a three-game losing streak.

Delle Donne scored 23 points, Cappie Pondexter added 15 points and Imani Boyette and Jamierra Faulkner chipped in with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

On Tuesday, the WNBA, which is celebrating its 20th season, announced the league's 20 greatest and most influential players. Pondexter was among those honored.

"This means a great deal to me," the 11-year veteran said after receiving 20 red roses from the Sky before tipoff against San Antonio. "I never imagined coming into the WNBA that I would be a part of history. It's overwhelming because I'm amongst people (Ticha Penicheiro, Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper) that I grew up looking up to."

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Sep 3, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI « 82 Cover: 28
NEW 60 Under: 142
Tools: Recaps

Aug 11, 2015 Score ATS Results
CHI 63 Under: 147
NEW « 84 Cover: 14.5
Tools: Recaps

Aug 7, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 77 Cover: 18.5
CHI 63 Under: 140
Tools: Recaps

Jun 30, 2015 Score ATS Results
NEW « 89 Cover: 13.5
CHI 81 Over: 170
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sparks (11-1) at Lynx (13-0)
Date: June 24, 2016 8:00 PM EDT

In a rematch of a Tuesday thriller between the top teams in the WNBA, the undefeated Minnesota Lynx play host to the one-loss Los Angeles Sparks on Friday at Target Center.

The Lynx pulled out a tight, back-and-forth win on Tuesday in Los Angeles, with reserve guard Renee Montgomery hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds to help Minnesota prevail and hand the Sparks their first loss of the season.

The Lynx (13-0) won despite losing former MVP Maya Moore to a thigh injury early in the third quarter. Moore's status for Friday's rematch was unknown as of late Thursday afternoon. The team leader in scoring and assists this season had eight points, six rebounds and three assists before leaving Tuesday's win.

"It's strength in numbers. It's next one up always," Montgomery told the team's website. "Of course we would want our MVP Maya to be in the game. But it's strength in numbers right now.

"We know if someone is hurt, you have to step up. Obviously, one person can't fill (Moore's) shoes. If (Moore) is out, we all have step up and help her out."

Minnesota owned the backboards in Tuesday's game, outrebounding Los Angeles 42-29. Sylvia Fowles had 11 rebounds and helped contain the Sparks' high-powered frontcourt of Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike.

Parker and Ogwumike have combined to average 32.7 points this season, but the duo was held 18 points on Tuesday. Guard Kristi Tolliver scored 20 points, including four 3-pointers.

The loss wasn't a poor performance by the Sparks (11-1), who shot 40 percent from the field and were competitive in every statistical category except rebounds. The discrepancy on the boards, though, led to Los Angeles attempting 10 fewer field goals than Minnesota.

The Sparks were held to fewer than 70 points for the second time this season. Minnesota is second in the WNBA in points allowed behind Los Angeles.

The Lynx have won four of the last five meetings with the Sparks, including two of three in last season's Western Conference playoff series.

The two powerhouses won't meet again until Sept. 6 in Los Angeles.


WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 21, 2016 Score ATS Results
MIN « 72 Cover: 4
LOS 71 Under: 143
Tools: Recaps

Sep 22, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS 80 Over: 171
MIN « 91 Cover: 6.5
Tools:

Sep 20, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 71 Over: 152
LOS « 81 Cover: 7
Tools:

Sep 18, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS 65 Cover: 3.5
MIN « 67 Under: 132
Tools:

Aug 9, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS 64 Under: 136
MIN « 72 Cover: 2.5
Tools: Recaps

Aug 4, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN 61 Under: 144
LOS « 83 Cover: 24.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 29, 2015 Score ATS Results
LOS 76 Cover: 2.5
MIN « 82 Over: 158
Tools: Recaps

Jun 16, 2015 Score ATS Results
MIN « 67 Cover: 3.5
LOS 52 Under: 119
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Preview: Sun (3-10) at Storm (4-9)
Date: June 24, 2016 10:00 PM EDT

Sue Bird is in her 14th WNBA season and one of the many things she has learned is that there isn't much time to overcome a slow start.

Bird and her Seattle Storm teammates are buried in a 4-9 start and aim to break a three-game losing streak when they host the Connecticut Sun on Friday.

"The season can go by so fast and before you know it, you can find yourself in a big hole," Bird said after Seattle's loss to Minnesota on Sunday. "Right now we need to wake up and realize what's happening and we have to start winning."

The Storm used to be regular playoff participants but are on track to miss the postseason for the third straight season.

The tough campaign has occurred even though top overall pick Breanna Stewart of the University of Connecticut -- the same alma mater as Bird -- has quickly made an impact.

Stewart had 21 points and nine rebounds in the loss to Minnesota to fall just shy of her sixth double-double Stewart is averaging 16.7 points and 9.7 rebounds.

Guard Jewell Loyd leads the Storm with a 17.2 scoring average and has recorded six 20-point outings, while the 35-year-old Bird is averaging 13.3 points and 5.5 assists.

The Sun (3-10) have also endured their struggles but are coming off a 93-90 victory over the San Antonio Stars.

Guard Alex Bentley scored 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting to raise her team-best average to 13.5.

Bentley also feels urgency for a turnaround as the contest in Seattle is the opener of a four-game road swing. Connecticut will also visit Los Angeles, Phoenix and Dallas.

"It's a huge stretch," Bentley said after the win over San Antonio. "Important games and we're going to fight to come away with some wins."

Guard Jasmine Thomas (11.5 points, 4.8 assists) and center Kelsey Bone (10.8) are also scoring in double digits for the Sun. Forward Alyssa Thomas, who averages 9.5 points, is expected to miss her fourth consecutive game with a concussion.

The teams have split two previous meetings this season. Seattle posted a 93-81 victory on its home floor on May 28 and Connecticut recorded a 77-76 home win on June 17.

Sun rookie forward Morgan Tuck scored a season-best 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting in last week's meeting. Tuck was the third overall pick of the 2016 draft out of Connecticut.

WNBA HEAD TO HEAD

Jun 10, 2016 Score ATS Results
SEA 76 Under: 153
CONN « 77 Cover: 4
Tools: Recaps

May 28, 2016 Score ATS Results
CONN 81 Over: 174
SEA « 93 Cover: 6.5
Tools: Recaps

Jul 31, 2015 Score ATS Results
SEA 66 Cover: 6
CONN « 67 Under: 133
Tools: Recaps

Jun 16, 2015 Score ATS Results
CONN « 79 Cover: 23.5
SEA 58 Under: 137
Tools: Recaps

[StarDust Bum]

Standings

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

New York Liberty 9 4 0.692 0 3-3 6-1 5-1 7-3 W-5

Atlanta Dream 8 5 0.615 1 4-3 4-2 6-4 6-4 L-2

Washington Mystics 7 7 0.500 2 2-5 5-2 5-3 6-4 W-3

Chicago Sky 6 7 0.462 3 3-2 3-5 4-2 5-5 W-1

Indiana Fever 5 9 0.357 4 3-4 2-5 2-5 3-7 L-2

Connecticut Sun 3 10 0.231 6 2-6 1-4 0-7 2-8 W-1



WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team Win Loss Percent GB Home Away Conf. Last 10 Streak

Minnesota Lynx 13 0 1.000 0 5-0 8-0 7-0 10-0 W-13

Los Angeles Sparks 11 1 0.917 1 5-1 6-0 5-1 9-1 L-1

Dallas Wings 7 7 0.500 6 4-4 3-3 5-2 4-6 W-4

Seattle Storm 4 9 0.308 9 2-4 2-5 2-5 3-7 L-3

Phoenix Mercury 4 9 0.308 9 4-3 0-6 1-8 4-6 L-3

San Antonio Stars 2 11 0.154 11 2-5 0-6 1-5 2-8 L-4

Updated Fri Jun 24 12:07 PM EDT

[StarDust Bum]

6/23 - Yesterday's Results - 0 - 2

Overall: WLT PCT UNITS RANK

ATS Picks 31-31-3 50.00% -1550

O/U Picks 37-28-0 56.92% +3100

[StarDust Bum]

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

GAME TIME(ET) PICK UNITS

PHO at WAS 07:00 PM

WAS -1.5

O 166.5


CHI at NY 07:30 PM

NY -4.0

O 162.0


LA at MIN 08:00 PM

MIN -4.0

U 155.5


CONN at SEA 10:00 PM

SEA -7.5

O 164.5

[StarDust Bum]

Armadillo: Saturday's six-pack

-- NHL does its draft the best of any league; all the teams' executives are under one roof. Imagine if the NFL did that?

-- Houston 13, Kansas City 4-- Houston led 12-0.......in the second inning.

-- Boston 8, Texas 7-- Red Sox scored four runs in the top of the ninth.

-- Johnny Manziel's life story is going to be a very depressing movie someday.

-- Five players from St Louis were taken in first round of the NHL Draft. Wow.

-- Guy proposed to his girlfriend on the scoreboard at the Marlins' game last night; that takes some onions. What if she says no?

**********

Armadillo: Saturday's List of 13: Random stuff with weekend here......

13) Correction: Got an e-mail yesterday sayng there are no agent commissions on rookie contracts in the NBA, so Jaylen Brown probably doesn't save any money by not having an agent, right now at least- there was one article on the Interweb that said some agents do claim commissions, despite there being very little negotiating involved with rookie contracts.

Brown is a bright kid; he says he'll hire an agent when the right time comes.

12) Scary scene in Anaheim Thursday, in 9th inning of A's-Angels game, with two out and A's up 5-4, Angels' batter swung and missed and let the bat go- the bat went behind the plate and drilled umpire Paul Emmel on top of his head, drawing blood. Quinn Wolcott went in and got his umpire's gear on, came out and worked the plate for the last out of the game, which actually took only one pitch.

11) In April the NCAA adopted a new rule that allows college coaches to evaluate the FIBA U17 World Championships in Spain; since this is a dead period for evaluating players in this country, lot of D-I coaches are in Spain for the tournament, which runs until July 3. .

10) Houston Astros were 1-1 on April 7; the next time they were at .500 or better was Tuesday night, 75 days later, when they got to 36-36.

9) Weird story of the day: In 1983, the St Louis Blues were having an ownership dispute; none of their representatives showed up for the NHL Draft, and the team actually forfeited all of its draft picks that year. No bueno.

8) Then there are the Green Bay Packers; they opened last year with 19 players who were drafted in the 4th round or later, including four of their five starting offensive linemen. Some organiations are run better than others.

7) Which brings us to the Miami Marlins, who on November 19, 2012, made a huge trade (12 players) with Toronto. As part of the trade, Miami chose Justin Nicolino, passing on Noah Syndergaard and Aaron Sanchez, who were both Toronto prospects back then. Oy.

6) Marlins raised around $100,000 for charity Thursday with the telethon they had on the air during their game with Cubs.

5) 59 underclassmen stayed in the NBA Draft; only 29 were drafted.

16 international players, 15 college seniors were also selected.

So 30 kids who could've played college ball this winter now have to find jobs, either in Europe or the D-League. Kids get a lot of bad advice.

4) Cubs' catcher David Ross played in the College World Series for two colleges, Florida and Auburn; don't see that very much.

3) More college basketball transfers (over 600 this year now)
-- Jordan Matthews, from Cal to Gonzaga
-- Kendrick Nunn, from Illinois to Oakland
-- Charles Matthews, from Kentucky to Michigan

2) June 23, 1917-- Babe Ruth was ejected after walking the first hitter of the game. His replacement came in, and didn't allow a baserunner the rest of the game, in what was probably the weirdest no-hitter in major league history.

1) Rough night at Dodger Stadium Wednesday for Nationals' CF Michael Taylot; he struck out five times, then let a single get by him in the bottom of the ninth inning, allowing the tying/winning runs to score, in Washington's fifth straight loss.